Cabrera invented the blocks as a way to teach his graduate and doctoral students systems thinking at Cornell University.
[3] This theory posits that four patterns, Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, and Perspectives, underlie all cognition, that they are universal to the process of structuring information, and that people can improve their thinking skills by learning to use the four elements explicitly.
[4] ThinkBlocks (also called DSRP Blocks for the cognitive theory upon which they are based) were invented by Derek Cabrera and debuted at the Chicago International Toy Fair in November, 2007.
They are also designed to be used in conjunction with the Patterns of Thinking method, as a so-called "tactile manipulative" used to model ideas.
The linkage between the four DSRP thinking skills and tactile manipulatives appeared in Scientific American Mind in 2010.
[9] ThinkBlocks have been used extensively in pre-school, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary classroom settings, including by the Ithaca City School District in Ithaca, NY, and Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax County, Virginia.